This is when Texas orange lantana looks best, in the spring when it's very compact. By the end of the summer it is huge and woody, stems sticking out everywhere. I'm sure there is a way to make it look better, but if you do nothing, it's kind of a mess by mid-summer.
I staked several clumps of flowers leaning into Paths in the Star Garden.
I sowed lots of Cosmos seed in the Star Garden
I potted up a Colonia White verbena for the plant swap, it's not native, but it has a storied past. George Washington grew it at Mount Vernon and wrote about it in his plant journals.
Saturday. Spent all day at the Antique Rose Emporium for the NPSOT NICE program engaging with their customers about planting natives.
Did nothing after that, I was kind of tired, plus I have never been able to jump into garden work halfway through the day when it is already hot.
Sunday. Up early. I helped Bert repair the tri-pod in the Rose Garden that holds up my once-blooming climber (can't come up with the name at this moment). The tri-pod fell over in the high winds we had last week.
I worked in the apple bed in the Orchard. I turned over the soil, cleaned out the bed, and sowed lots of cosmos and zinnia seeds. I pulled up lots of Brown Eyes while doing it. But I have a terrific display of Brown Eyes coming in May down there, and I can spare a bed. Weeded while I was down there. Did some clean-up. I'm trying to get that garden under control before the dog days of June and the mean dog days of July, August and September.
I potted up 10 4 inchers and sowed Alamo Vine seed for the plant sale. Also collected some for Michael.
I planted a Carolina Buckthorn in the Boardwalk Gardens.
I planted a Martha Gonzales rose in a bucket in the Rose Garden. Weeded a bit while I was there.
I sowed the Rattlesnake Master seeds that Michael gave me. I sowed them under the shade of a Mexican Buckeye.
Lastly, I planted an Asclepias tuberosa next to the other ones I planted a few days ago. And I planted an Asclepias incarnata in the wet bed near the button bush.
I repotted my Mission from Mars mangave, and I used the broken pot to plant Painted Desert mangave.
I pulled up artemisia in Water Garden. That will be a lifelong task.
I ran the weed eater across some rescue grass in the Meadow so that it wouldn't go to seed.
I ran the weed eater across some weedy growth in the Rose Edge Border. The entrance to the Rose Garden was looking pretty shabby.
Pulled up Cleaver weed that was crawling all over the area next to the Vegetable Garden. I did that way too late, and I will have a big problem with that weed next year. Cleaver has the sticky balls that cling to everything - dog fur, clothes, etc. On the bright side, it is edible.
I weeded the beds in the Vegetable Garden.
Turned the compost and created a new pile.
Added compost to the long bed in the Vegetable Garden and sowed corn seed. Pulled up poppies to make room
Raked in the Vegetable Garden.
Planted 2 Asclepias tuberosa, 6 Strawberry Fields, 3 Twistleaf Goldenrod, 1 Fireworks Gomphrena, and 2 Cleome.
Spot watered in the Rose Garden.
I potted up an Inland Sea Oats and 2 swamp sunflower for the plant sale.
I put a Frosted Elegance mangave in a pot, and I put a small Pineapple Express into a new pot, the old one was broken.
Cleared out tall winecup from around the althea seedlings that Tommy gave me.
I watered in the Greenhouse Garden, I see some of the groundcovers trying to make a comeback.
My Virginia Creeper groundcover plan is working. I'm very proud of it. I'm starting to get some pretty growth on the ground in the Shade Garden and the Circle Drive.
Sprayed herbicide in the Rose Garden, the Star Garden and the Orchard.
I cleared out part of a bed in the Orchard and sowed a bunch of zinnia seed.
This clump of Siberian iris looked so pretty this morning. This is the best year I have had with this plant. I think this is year 4 since I planted it, and this is the first really good show I've gotten. It takes some years for a clump to get this mature, so it's not surprising. But I planted other Siberians at the same time, and they aren't blooming like this one. So, I assume I'm seeing something extra special!
This verbena will crawl and sprawl over everything in its vicinity which is okay with me. I love the color, and it doesn't get bad-looking from whatever insect likes to suck the life out of verbena by summer's end. It withstands freezes very successfully and doesn't go dormant. It will root along all the joints, so I plop a rock on top of a stem. It will take root, and then I can pass some of this gem along to friends and family.
The Spirea looked really pretty last weekend when I took these pictures. These shrub were some of the first ones that I planted when we built the house. It's funny because I would never plant this shrub now, my thinking about plants has changed so much over the years. But they are still doing great.
Friday. Turned compost into 2 beds in the Vegetable Garden. I sowed crookneck squash in a 4 x 4 bed and some Abashi bitter melon seeds in a bed along the fence. Bitter melon is a Japanese, weird fruit on a vine. I'm just growing it for fun. I like to have a vine of some sort in the Vegetable Garden every year. My beans have mostly popped up. And most of the fennel has emerged.
After work I amended another bed and planted a couple of bell pepper plants.
Saturday. It turned cold and grey during the night. I side dressed plants in the Star Garden and my evergreen oak. Cleared out beds.
I spent time in the front bed clearing out weeds and laying down compost. I wanted to get to that before our Airbnb guests start arriving - 2 groups over the next several weeks.
Anne Thames and I went to Plants and Things and New Leaf nurseries to talk about the NICE program for NPSOT. That burned a good part of the day.
I planted 2 of 3 Mangaves I bought, and I cleaned out all the winter debris from the others. There were a lot of mushy leaves after our freeze, then I moved them outside last weekend and the leaves dried up. I pulled them all off and cut them away. I don't know if what's below the surface is still alive. That part I am very confused about - should I replant or will pups come up from the root ball?
Sunday. Cold and mostly cloudy.
I turned the compost and layered in more greens.
Composted several more beds in the Vegetable Garden and sowed zucchini, beans and squash.
I planted 2 Valerian plants in the Star Garden, a Stevia and 3 thyme in the Vegetable Garden.
I cleared out areas in the Star Garden bed and laid down compost. I planted an arrowleaf sage that I bought from New Leaf.
These tiny bulbs make a big show each spring. They bloom in shade and in sun. They multiply rapidly and seem to show up in all kinds of unusual places, and I don't know how they get there.
Friday I had 5 yards of mushroom compost delivered. I spread it over the small asparagus bed and the bed next to it. I spread compost around my Anacachoe Orchid tree and the Two Winged Silverbell nearby.
Saturday. Up early. I worked in the Rose Garden for a couple of hours. I side dressed all the roses in pots and a handful of them in the ground. Cleared out wildflower seedlings that were going to crowd out my perennials. More to do there. Side dressed some of the daylilies and lantana, the tiny Copper Canyon daisy and Flame Anacanthus. I planted 2 New Gold lantana (my favorite lantana, it blooms so much better than all these new cultivars that have come out recently) and side dressed them. I planted a True Sincerity rose in one of my buckets, added lots of compost. True Sincerity is a red, yellow blend. I have one in the garden that I planted last year, and I thought it was a good bloomer. But the real reason I bought it was because it was $12.99. Roses (and everything else) have gotten so expensive.
I worked some compost into the middle bed and planted 3 tomatoes.
I turned over the soil in the bed that I spread compost over yesterday. Sowed 4 eight foot rows of green beans. Planted a New Zealand Lemonade lemon tree in a pot in the Vegetable Garden. It is a hybrid of a lemon, a lime and a Mandarin. Semi-dwarf. Mulched around my thyme growing in a bucket. I spread compost over the big asparagus bed. We are already getting lots of asparagus. Weeded and raked while I was in there working.
Next, I went down to the Orchard. I am really trying to love my Orchard so that I will take better care of it. Last summer I let it get really out of hand. It was still in bad shape for Max's wedding, but luckily no one went down there because all his friends spent the entire time drinking or standing in line at the bar! The Mexican plum is in full bloom and smells wonderful. The apple blossoms are on the wane. I watered the new Pawnee pecan tree that I planted for Charlie, the Mexican sycamore that I planted for Henry, the Methley plum, the Celeste fig, the wolfberries and the pomegranate. I worked in the blackberry bramble at the front of the Orchard where I let all the crabgrass grow last summer. I pulled out all the debris and pulled up as much Cleaver weed as I could reach. Pulled out dead canes.
Watered the Vegetable Garden. Did some watering in the Rose Garden.
I headed back to the Vegetable Garden. I added compost to 2 beds and sowed lettuce seed.
Sunday. I pruned my 2 blue Vitex and finished pruning the remaining branched on the pink Vitex. I side dressed the Salvia Madrensis with compost. It has still not emerged yet. I side dressed a few other things in the Star Garden. I cut down all the red shrimp plant debris, not really cut, I just snap the dead branches as low as I can go.
Drove to the Thames for a NPSOT meeting. I drove over to Michael's house and he gave me a tour of his property. Wow. It is amazing, so many natives.
Headed home to Houston after that.
Sassafras is a really neat little tree. In addition to spring flowers, you get wonderful fall color - really pretty spectacular fall color. And, it is an herb, so this little tree checks a lot of boxes. Mine has suckered, and now I have 3 tall offsets and a handful of little tiny trees. I'm fine with that. A little thicket of sassafras near the house would be most welcome.
This is the Snow Moon rising.
Friday vacation. I spent the morning pruning roses, cleaning out flowerbeds and breaking off dead debris from salvia and Mexican Mint Marigold. I pruned my pink Vitex , all except for 5 or so branches too thick for me to cut with hand clippers. I kept intending to get the loppers and finish the job, but I never got back to it. I cut double red althea down to about half its size. I've never done that to an althea before, so I'm interested to see how it does. I cut down all the Southern wood fern dead debris in the dining Room Bed.
Anne Thames and I visited the Antique Rose Emporium to get them to join the NICE program for the Native Plant Society. They were very enthusiastic about it. On the way home we stopped at Texas Trees nursery and spoke to them about the program as well.
In the early evening I did some clean up in the Rose Garden. I pruned a couple of roses and pulled weeds.
Saturday. I planted a Methley plum tree in the Orchard. Dug up 4 sorry looking Missy Prissy iris that were in the way.
I met Josh halfway and picked up the girls. I had the La Bahia NPSOT folks over to tour my Small Prairie Restoration. That lasted all afternoon.
Sunday, met Josh halfway and dropped off the girls.
Cut back my tall blue mistflower in the Star Garden. I used all the debris in an erosion spot. No worries if it seeds because it is native.
I painted the fence that runs along the side of the house leading to the barn.
I went down to the Orchard and put down poison for leaf cutter ants. I cut back my Texas Lantana to the nub. I moved a tall blue mistflower from the Star Garden down to the Orchard and planted it under the Jujube. I saw that my 3 in 1 apple tree is down to 1, so I will need to get another apple tree or that one will never make an apple. I've lost 2 of the grafts, very disappointing. I weeded for a long time until it was nearly dark.
Monday vacation.
I planted the 4 Missy Prissy in the Rose Garden and dug up another one that was being consumed by salvia. I planted them in the Noisette bed. I fertilized them very lightly.
Leaf cutter ants had stripped 2 of my roses, so I put down poison along their trails.
Fertilized some of the roses in pots. More to do there. The fennel seed that I tossed in the buckets is popping up. The deer don't seem to like the fennel. Hopefully I'm right and that will keep them away.
I sowed a row of green fennel in the Vegetable Garden - for the butterflies.
I worked in the Orchard. I pulled weeds, raked, cleaned out beds. I pulled up all the brown eyes in the fig bed. I don't want any in that bed.
Took Nelly to the vet for boosters, and we headed to Houston after that.
I don't know the name of this camellia. I planted her long ago, before I began carefully documenting all my plants. But she really looked pretty. This is a very late winter bloomer, so the December cold snap did not kill the buds. In the photo below, in the foreground coralberry has broken dormancy with its cheerful spring green leaves.
